Revealed: The jobs of drivers most likely to cause car accidents

Does your job affect the likelihood of you being involved in a car accident? New research suggests that it does and if you work in the healthcare industry then you are more likely than anyone else to cause an auto crash.

Analysis of two million insurance claims has revealed an ‘extraordinary concentration of problem driving’ among medical and healthcare professionals with surgeons and GPs significantly more likely than other professions to cause a car accident.

Keep reading to find out which ten professions are the most accident-prone.

Surgeons are 100 times more likely to cause a car crash than a building society clerk

Analysis from a leading price comparison website has found that surgeons and GPs were nearly one hundred times more likely to cause an at-fault accident while driving than a building society clerk.

The research found that for every 1,000 surgeons who drive a car, 361 made an at-fault claim in the past five years, compared with just 3.5 building society clerks.

The data showed a remarkable correlation between medical professionals and at-fault claims. Of the top 10 occupations registering an at-fault claim all except one were connected to the healthcare profession – including district nurses, community nurses, health visitors, dental surgeons and hospital consultants.

Kevin Pratt from the website that carried out the research said that stress and tiredness might be behind the figures. “One industry dominates the top ten claims table – it seems those who have the responsibility of saving our lives and caring for our health are the most accident-prone drivers.

“There is no doubt that surgeons, GPs and health visitors are all stressful jobs, so lack of time or tiredness could mean that these drivers are more likely to make an at-fault claim.”

The only non-healthcare profession in the top ten for at-fault claims are probation officers, who spend a lot of time in the car meeting offenders, victims and the police.

The professions least likely to cause a car crash

The research found that at the other end of the spectrum, office clerks make the fewest at-fault claims. The Guardian reports that ‘by far the safest drivers on the roads are building society clerks, followed by order clerks and audit clerks, with wages clerks and typists also featuring among the occupations least likely to claim.’

The data on occupational accident risk are used by insurers to provide quotes and this means that healthcare workers pay more for car insurance than people in other jobs. However, making a subtle change to your profession can make your insurance significantly cheaper.

For example, The Guardian reports that research on car insurance sites has found that changing your job title from ‘restaurateur’ to ‘cafe owner’ can save you as much as £100 on your annual premium. Meanwhile, a ‘medical officer’ will benefit from a premium which is nearly five per cent less than a nurse.

But if another driver causes an accident in which you are involved it will still increase your premium - even if you are not to blame.

“Being involved in an accident, no matter how minor, whether you’re at fault or not, can be a traumatic and costly experience. Our research shows the average claim value for an at-fault accident is nearly £3,000 and claiming for either not-at-fault or at-fault accidents will drive up annual premiums, typically adding around £33 on average,” said Mr Pratt.

The top 10 professions registering the most 'at fault' claims

1. Surgeon
2. General Practitioner
3. Health Visitor
4. Hospital Consultant
5. Clinical Psychologist
6. Psychotherapist
7. Probation Officer
8. District Nurse
9. Dental Surgeon
10. Community Nurse